Should You Feed Your Family Organic Food?

Understand what organic means, what it doesn't, and how you can buy organic on a budget.

August 23, 2016
by Emma Rohmann

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Many families only start to consider organic food when starting to feed a baby. Much like personal care products, furniture, paints, and toys, we tend to only think about what’s being used in our homes when it comes to our little ones. It’s easy enough to stick with natural baby care products and keep using conventional ones for us. But with food, they don’t always eat separate puréed meals, so at some point we have to decide whether we’re going to start eating organic as a family.

It sounds like a good idea in theory, but with an extra mouth to feed and the higher cost of organic food, is it really practical? It’s a question I grapple with regularly.

Here’s a rundown of what it means (and doesn’t mean) to be “organic”, and tips to buy organic on a budget to help you decide whether it’s the right choice for your family.

Certified organic meat in Canada is raised without the use of hormones or antibiotics, has access to outdoors, meets minimum space requirements for movement indoors, is under minimal stress, and is provided organic feed specific to the species.

It should be noted that growth hormones are only permitted to be used in beef cattle – so all dairy cattle, pork, and poultry in Canada are growth-hormone free, regardless of whether or not they are organic. Also, a common misconception is that organic produce is pesticide free; natural pesticides can still be used in place of synthetic chemicals.

Certification is conducted by third party organizations that verify the standards laid out by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). It’s a fairly complex arrangement that is laid out here. Needless to say, there is certainly room for error but the intent is that all food delivered with the organic seal complies with the CFIA requirements; this is a common argument against organic food. While it is possible (maybe even likely) that organic food you purchase doesn’t always meet all criteria, it is more likely that at least most organic food meets most of the criteria most of the time.

Why do people choose organic?

Most people choose organic to reduce their exposure to synthetic pesticides. On one hand, these pesticides are governed by Health Canada and manufacturers are required to demonstrate that the amount remaining in residue on produce is not harmful to human health. However, most of the testing and understanding of how these chemicals behave in our bodies is done at concentrations far greater than food residues.

Very little is known about how prolonged exposure to low amounts of pesticide residues affects our bodies. We do know that many of these chemicals are known to be carcinogenic and/or hormone disrupting at high doses, and research is suggesting that these chemicals are building up in our bodies. And so, many people choose organic because the risk of these chemicals causing harm in our bodies outweighs the reward of cheaper groceries. Children are more susceptible to higher chemical concentrations in their bodies because they eat more for their body size than adults. Also, their systems aren’t fully developed so they aren’t able to process synthetic chemicals like a healthy adult can. That being said, synthetic pesticide chemicals build up in adults as well.

There is also a concern about genetically modified organisms used in conventional food production, largely because the impact on our health and the environment is not yet known. This could be a whole other article, so for simplicity’s sake I’ll leave it at that. There’s a great overview of GMOs by the World Health Organization if you’re looking for more information.

Aside from potential health benefits, there are some environmental benefits to organic farming as well, but these are seemingly more subjective. Many opt for supporting small, local farms over large, international organic farms for this reason.

What are the downsides?

There are a few arguments against organic food, the most common being cost (both to the consumer and the farmer), the conflict between local vs organic, and inability to support the growing population (due to lower yields). The last issue is a much larger discussion, and there are several articles that claim opposite results with respect to the ability of organic farms to feed the world. It is certainly something to consider, but not something I’m going to discuss in detail here.

With respect to local vs organic, it’s a tricky debate for sure. Obviously local and organic solves the problem, but this is often easier said than done. We are often faced with having to choose between the two. It’s a debate that is ongoing for sure - if you want to support organic, buying organic demonstrates that there’s market demand. However, shipping our food half way around the world comes with an increased environmental footprint.

As for cost, it is true that organic food will cost more than its non-organic counterparts. This is partially due to the cost of certification and partially due to lower demand.

What’s a family to do?

Ultimately, it’s an individual decision whether the potential health and environmental benefits of organic food is worth the extra expense, and sometimes effort. There are ways that savvy families can get the most out of their grocery bills that can help offset the cost and help you eat healthier overall:

Eat more plant-based meals: Meat is often the most expensive part of a grocery bill.

Meal plan: Taking some time each week to plan meals will save you time in the grocery store, and will help you waste less food overall.

Avoid the inner aisles: These are where grocery stores want you to spend your money and where all the marketing is. Avoid adding items to your cart you don’t need, and stick to the outer (healthier) aisles.

Consider the dirty dozen: EWG’s annual rating of the fruits and vegetables with respect to pesticide residues. If you’re on a budget, you may want to prioritize the produce at the top of the list (like strawberries and apples), and realize that you can make do with conventional avocado and sweet potato, for example.

My go-to line when it comes with decisions like this is: “do your best and forget the rest”. There are days when my family eats nothing but organic, and others when there’s not an organic item in sight. That balance works for us. Find what works for you and enjoy the foods each season brings, regardless of whether or not it’s organic.

Emma Rohmann is the founder of Green at Home, a small business that helps busy families and small businesses minimize their exposure to harmful chemicals, reduce their environmental footprint, and make responsible food choices. She is also a mom to two small children, and an environmental engineer with 9 years' experience as a green building and sustainability consultant. Emma was recruited by David Suzuki's Queen of Green, and joined her team of Green Coaches in 2015. Focused on empowerment over fear, she loves to show people that simple steps can make a big difference. For more info, including free resources and green living blog, check out www.greenathome.ca.

EcoParent is a quarterly magazine for families that want to make healthier, greener lifestyle choices. Fun and inspirational in tone – and never judgmental – we appeal to the already eco-savvy, but remain accessible to the newly eco-curious. Food, fashion, books, travel, health & beauty, home & garden, and so much more!